My Aim Is True

When I first saw the ads for this guy, I thought they were some sort of joke, another National Lampoon take-off on rock.

Here was a hapless-looking Woody Allen character, bearing down on his axe, proclaiming, "My Aim Is True."

The joke was on me. This cat is serious and his aim is, indeed, true to his music.

That music is a throwback to the bare bones spirit of early rock and roll. With a 70s lyrical vision, the result has a fresh impact.

Costello, 22, is a former computer analyst in Britain. He believes, "There's a lot of rock music that's become exclusive and it's of no use to anyone, least of all me."

"Music has to get to people in the heart, in the head. I don't care where, as long as it gets them. That's why I like to write short songs (the longest on this LP is 3:42; the shortest 1:22). It's a discipline. There's no disguise... They have to stand up on their own."